On July 4th, 2014, I was working as a bartender in Fire Island, NY, when I received a call from my father, Donald. During our call, he expressed that surgery to remove his prostate cancer had left him feeling like less of a man. My father’s battle with prostate cancer wasn’t news to me — we had been dealing with it for several years — but what was news to me were these feelings he had.

After our call ended, I reflected on his worries and decided to do something that might make him feel better. I painted my nail pink and showed him, saying, "Hey Dad, I’m still a man with nail polish!" This small act made a large impact on him: "It gave him some confidence; he liked it."

I wanted to give him confidence, I wanted him to believe he could live on. I knew right there, I just knew I needed to help him. Did I know I would be helping others? No.

Thus, the Pink Nail Society came to fruition on July 4th 2014.

Today, The Pink Nail Society is an accredited nonprofit organization that has raised over $30,000 to date. A portion of those proceeds goes to the Prostate Cancer Foundation to fund prostate cancer research. It’s the least we can do, because we want research to be fueled. We need that. We need medical research, because cancer sucks. Our slogan reflects this: “Give Prostate Cancer the Finger!”

I chose pink because it’s a color that men are not typically comfortable with. I saw it as a challenge to men to step outside of what is comfortable, because talking about prostate cancer requires just that. It’s vital to remove the stigma around talking about prostate cancer.

With Pink Nail Society, we have managed to do what so many of us who have been affected by cancer strive to do: take a terrible situation and turn it into something positive.

Pink Nail Society is dedicated to raising awareness about prostate health and prostate cancer within our local community. Our mission is to educate and inform on topics ranging from testing and diagnosis to treatment options, advancements in medicine, and cutting-edge research.

We Pinkie Swear to Care!

For more details on our cause, delve into our site: www.pinknailsociety.org

Stephen Tendrich, Founder, President

Erich Schilling, Vice President

John Gordon-Secretary

2nd Annual Masquerade in Pink Ball